HR0349 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0349 LRB101 12321 ALS 60219 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Scottlynn Ballard, a junior at Edwardsville High School, on winning the Illinois Poetry Out Loud competition and being named runner-up of the Poetry Out Loud National competition in Washington, D.C. on May 1, 2019; and

WHEREAS, Poetry Out Loud, a partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Poetry Foundation, and the state arts agencies, is in its 14th year; students select, memorize, and recite poems from an anthology of more than 1,000 classic and contemporary poems; and

WHEREAS, Scottlynn Ballard's journey through the Poetry Out Loud competition began earlier this year at Edwardsville High School, where she won the school competition; she then progressed to the Illinois state competition, where she was named the winner; and

WHEREAS, Scottlynn Ballard continued through the competition as she traveled to Washington, D.C. on April 30 and competed against 52 representatives from other states; during the semi-final rounds on April 30, she was selected as one of the nine students to move on to compete in the semi-final and final competition on May 1, 2019; after being named one of the top three finalists from the semi-final round, she performed one last time and recited "Worth" by Marilyn Nelson, "Self-Help" by Michael Ryan, and "Ode" by Arthur O'Shaughnessy; she was named runner-up after advancing through a field of more than 275,000 participants nationwide; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Scottlynn Ballard on winning the Illinois Poetry Out Loud competition and being named runner-up of the Poetry Out Loud National competition, and we wish her success in her future endeavors; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Scottlynn Ballard as an expression of our esteem and respect.